Post by scales on Dec 1, 2011 14:59:35 GMT -5
Reviewed by: Zyre, Oog
Accepted by: Oog
30.12.2012
Vance Lewis Harvey
Full Name- Vance Lewis Harvey
Gender- Male
Age- 21
Date of Birth- Feb. 20th, 1990
Sexual Orientation- Gay
Location- Las Vegas, NV
Celebrity Claim- Ryan Taylor
What should we call you?- Dyslexia69, Moonflax, Skankass, Scales, whatev...
Play anyone else?- Not yet...
Have You Read the Rules?- There will be no complimentary peanuts.
Personality-
Vance has become known over the years by others as a carefree spirit with a fairly flexible sense of morality, perhaps so much so that he can at times be rather idealistic about it. His general rule of thumb has always been that if something isn't hurting anyone, then it can't be wrong. Life within a super-powered gang however has increased his flexibility, more or less. Already prone to rationalizing his own actions and those of his friends and allies, he's learned from Shane just how flexible he can stand to be. There was a time when pulling a gun on someone might have caused his hand to shake, when he might have felt unsure of pulling the trigger. While there are many people he wouldn't harm, innocents to speak ambiguously, his time with the gang has long since tempered a steady hand when dealing with what Shane would point out to be the 'not-so-innocent'. All of this seems to have led Vance toward a mindset likely suited for arbitrary vigilantism. In other words, Vance won't deliberate hurt a child or a puppy, but someone who has clearly already stained their hands in life may fall short of his mercy should they cross him. In his youth, he was also known for his wildly hedonistic tendencies. Although traumatizing events have caused him to withdraw socially for the most part, he remains attracted to revelry, and hopes that there will be a time when he'll feel as safe partying and the like as he did in former years.
One by one, his many hopes and dreams in life have fallen by the wayside, forcing him to allocate his focus upon the most important of them all: self-preservation. He'd like to make a new life for himself and perhaps once again feel safe. At the very least, he finds that New York city is larger than and distant enough from his former stomping grounds that he can sleep at night. This of course doesn't include the 'bad days' that speckle each month in which nightmares will plague him when he tries to rest. A mix of his regrets and the horrors he has seen have left their mark, and he tends to be especially wary of the idea of specials who seek to join together-- regardless of the cause. This has always ended badly for him in the past, and his fear of death is very real, despite all that he's lost. Perhaps one of his deepest desires is to learn that his brother Shane is in fact alive and well, but the thought brings him mixed and puzzled feelings that are perhaps tainted with the ink of betrayal as he can't imagine any good reason for Shane to have avoided contacting him if he had survived. He struggles against a fear that the only family he has left is his youngest brother Max, who seems to be a complete sociopath. Speaking of which, he also fears that Max will someday find him and manipulate him again-- or worse. To have his mind and memories toyed with by the puppeteering of a mental ability is a hell that Vance never wishes to experience again, and he would sooner go down guns blazing than see it happen. It goes without saying that he is considerably more wary of mentally-manipulative abilities than others for this reason.
This all comes together to contribute to his fear of letting others in again, for fear that history will repeat himself and lead him to see them dissolved in deadly fumes, blown into an ashy breeze by a wave of solar heat, or worse if it in fact exists. He accepts many of the realities he cannot deny, and one of the most foremost of them is that he has little power to protect others against such threats. Even if he happens to be a decent shot with a handgun, there are powers against which such a weapon measures insignificant, and its terribly difficult for him to share his physical escape routes with others. The past has left him troubled, distrustful, and at times skittish. He tries to internalize these tendencies as best he can when in social situations, but the truth often finds its choice opportunities to shine through. All said and done, nothing Vance has ever gone through could have snuffed out his big heart or tendency to give a ton of love to those he lets in, and his loyalty is not a thing to underestimate. People often say, 'the world is going to hell in a hand basket', but Vance is certain he's seen the darkest and most glaring proof of this with his own eyes. He figures that it's only a matter of time before more unworthy carriers of the gift bring about calamity, and could be swayed to a number of causes based upon the idea of preventing such catastrophes if one could only gain his trust.
There are certain aspects of Vance's identity that have always been true. One might blame his evasive and distrustful nature falsely, but he has actually never been prone to 'settling down' in a monogamous relationship. The practice doesn't mesh with his philosophies on love, and he tends to leave it at that.Some may mistake this for a lack of commitment or sincerity, even while he offers so much of himself emotionally. Once invested, he gives perhaps too much power to others in that he can be at times overly sensitive to their harsh words or criticisms. Sometimes he takes things personally that he shouldn't, although he's certainly gotten better about this over the years. It's just one of many examples of the lessons he can clearly see he's learned just by looking back at his adolescent years. On a good day, Vance loves to laugh and carry on. He loves the company of true friends and lovers alike and will lavish them in as much attention and affection as they'll appreciate. Among the many people who may overlook or underestimate him for one reason or another, he tends to forget about them quickly and maintain his focus on the people who matter. Deep down, he seriously misses that kind of companionship and camaraderie and hopes he'll be able to find that in his fresh start.
Likes-
Dislikes-
Strengths-
Weaknesses-
Skills-
Flaws-
Abilities/Powers/Skills-
Adhesion is the ability to adhere to surfaces, to cling to what one touches. This ability allows Vance to stick to surfaces or objects at will. With the proper application of this ability, Vance can cause objects to remain mentally fastened to his skin for as long as he maintains concentration, and as he masters his ability, it could become second nature and require minimal focus to maintain. He can also use this ability to climb with super-human capacity, scaling buildings or other treacherous, even normally unmanageable surfaces with ease. He can also use this power to plant his feet to the ground and root his stance, keep an object from being taken away from him, or paired with the use of Lubricity, grapple another person to great effect.
Lubricity is essentially the opposite, allowing Vance to become slippery and difficult to grasp. He can slip through tight places, slide out of restraints such as rope or handcuffs, and ease out of another person's grasp with ease. He can also reduce the damage of any form of blunt attack considerably (the way boxers wear Vaseline on their face to reduce damage from strikes) by rolling with the blow and causing it to slide off of him. He can still be caught by his clothing, particularly if snagged, but in an event of emergency, can easily slip out of it to escape.
Both abilities function on a psychic level, interacting with his own aura and flexing it in such a way that it becomes a skin that can be made sticky or slippery at will. Because it is psychic in nature, there is no secreted substances involved. Both abilities affect the clothing worn on his person as well, but on a milder degree.
Limits-
Vance must maintain concentration in order to use either ability. He can use and exploit both effects for different parts of his body at the same time. While it doesn't require particularly intense focus or concentration to maintain an effect, should he be stunned or become somehow disoriented, control over his abilities become forfeit. This could be dangerous or even potentially deadly if he happens to be high up from the ground when thusly interrupted. Adhesion also doesn't allow him to pull objects into his grasp from a distance; he must be able to physically touch the object or surface by ordinary means in order to adhere to it.
There are also limits as to how Lubricity can be used. While even a steep fall onto an uneven surface may allow him to mitigate harm by redirecting his motion, the power offers only minimal protection against anything or anyone that might slash or pierce him. If a slashing blow isn't fully direct, there's some minor chance it can be directed, but Vance is virtually unprotected from piercing attacks, such as projectiles from firearms. Attacks of this nature will certainly wound him normally. Also, although he can slip out of restraints or through tight spaces, he must still be able to physically fit through in order for it to work. A ventilation shaft only large enough to accommodate a child isn't a viable escape route for Vance, although those less versed in the workings of his ability might not realize this.
Appearance-
Vance stands at about 6' 2", so he's a bit of a tall fella. His build is slim and has been honed through his years-- well suited for agility and athletics. Though not terribly imposing in frame, his toned musculature is well-distributed to his limber frame. Strikingly comely features may cause him to stand out, and though his hazel eyes are often unfocused in a venture into his thoughts, they are a vivid hue. Though his hair is typically straight, it's only because he uses products to straighten it. Naturally, his hair grows curly, which he finds to be more difficult to control and thusly a bit more frustrating. He's often been called a 'pretty boy' in the past, but in that he's been called much worse, he just sort of accepts the badge. He certainly takes the time to keep his nails neatly trimmed and kept-up, and takes an unspoken pride in the naturally smooth complexion of his skin-- an attribute among many that he shares with his siblings all thanks to his mother's genes. A four inch scar demands attention along the end of his right forearm by the elbow, a souvenir from the little car accident he experienced in his teen years. As a large scar on a relatively unmarked body, it can certainly stand out, although it has healed quite well over the years.
His wardrobe is more versatile than that of most guys. He enjoys the casual comforts of sneakers, tee-shirts, and jeans. He also has a taste for class however, and has little fuss in store for occasions in which he's called to dress up. He has shown in times past that he can sport suits and the like, and has no difficulty finding his comfort or movement in them. There are also plenty of times when it suits his purposes to become as unassuming as possible, and so he may wear a hoodie or a cap of some sort. He loves to keep his agility more-or-less intact and tends to avoid overly tight or cumbersome clothing. When in more casual attire, he'll prefer loose-fit shirts and even looser, baggy pants. He has a thing for skate shoes, though perhaps not for actual skating. Fashion aside, they are designed for flexibility and durability (or at least the good ones are) and their flat soles allow him to grip vertical surfaces easily with his lower limbs. Though perhaps not rolling around in bling like a cheap rap star, he doesn't mind a bit of jewelry here or there-- a ring or three or a nice silver chain necklace often enough on-hand to join him on his outings.
Those who observe Vance closely enough may notice that there's something off about him. He frequently zones out in his thoughts, enough that he may seem weird or even dangerous. When his thoughts travel to darker memories and the 'hull integrity' of his psyche begins to falter, he can be prone to sudden nervousness and fidgeting at best, or in times of more serious reaction seem suddenly spooked into fleeing an area or becoming inexplicably defensive or wary. This uneven, unpredictable behavior can get others' backs up as well at times, especially those who don't understand just why he is the way he is. He often moves with all the grace of a cat, but the knowledgeable and realistic know that cats can too indeed be clumsy. When he moves through crowds though, he typically glides in-between everyone as if he's been moving through crowds all his life. Truth be told, there's a far less dramatic result for Vance in being bumped into when he is actively concentrating... and when he's trying to keep his head low and simply move along, this is often enough the case. He tends to crack his knuckles periodically by force of habit, even if it occasionally causes some old lady to cringe and stare. Generally, he seems to pay attention to others around him only when he's demonstrating caution, otherwise detaching himself from the world around him.
Faction- Neutral
Birthplace- Phoenix, AZ
Mother- Paige Harvey / Deceased
Father- Frederick Harvey / Deceased
Siblings- Shane Jasper Harvey / 19 / Gangster / Photokinetic
Max Daniel Harvey / 15 / Retrocognitive Distortion
Spouse / Partner- N/A
Children- N/A
History-
Vance was born on Feb. 20th, just after midnight. As his mother told him, it had been the night of an unusually bad storm-- and he was just the first of three. Two brothers would later follow him into the family, younger Shane and youngest Max. In early childhood, Vance remembers his family enjoying a more comfortable life while his father's inherited restaurant chain flourished. In these opportune times, Paige sought after her ambitions and pursued a career in pharmaceutical medicine. Though Vance's memories this far back were relatively untainted, he remembers learning early on about his father's negative and bigoted attitudes in regards to other types of people. Frederick fought to see his kids sent to private school, but he lost that battle with Paige fairly quickly.
Even this early in his life, a seed of rebellion had been planted. Vance only grew more inclined to feel the other kids were as fun to play with regardless of minor differences. Things like gender, color, financial background and the like never seemed relevant to Vance, and as he grew to understand the concept of bigotry, he felt his father to be his own life's introduction to it. Reaching his adolescent years, Vance was clearly open and adventurous by nature. He'd become so rebellious that even Paige began to take serious issue with his behavior. As she seemed focused on taming Vance for his safety, her tendency to balance against Frederick slackened somehow, or perhaps Frederick simply became more and more sour as time went on. An inevitable schism developed between Vance and his father over the people he'd spend his time with, and the resentment festered. By this time, there was an ongoing decline in the success of Fred's business, and he'd been forced to close several stores down. Later in life, Vance would come to understand that his father had been responsible for some poor business decisions, his own bad choices causing him to lose footing in the industry as he had. Times became harder than they'd been before, if only for a time.
Paige made a bold move and decided to open her own pharmacy in what she considered to be a highly advantageous location. She became quickly absorbed in her career pursuits at this point, and was all but absent in the balance of the home, and the family's tension reached a breaking point. Vance would dread coming home so strongly that he'd stay out all ours getting into mischief with his friends instead. Fred and Paige became only more divided in response as they struggled against each other to negotiate a plan on just how the boy should be punished. Before such a decision could ever be reached, something happened that would spin things into a new direction. Vance came home within hours of daylight after a rambunctious Friday night, and confessed to his mother that he'd gotten terribly drunk and lost his virginity... and to an older boy no less. The true weight of his confession being that he was gay, they both knew his father would take such news in a horrible way, and agreed to keep it from him for the time being. This point marked a brief time when Vance attempted to behave and do well in school. He took on extra-curricular activities such as debate and speech or sports, and kept to these activities through much of high school once he'd gotten into them... even despite the tragedy that would change his life during his freshman year.
A robbery at the pharmacy by some seemingly desperate pill heads went terribly awry when Paige tried to defend her store in the altercation, and was hospitalized with several gunshot wounds that left her in critical condition. Paige Harvey died within three days. The tragic event brought the household together in a strange new way, but everyone coped differently-- and badly. By Vance's own observations, his father went from a bigoted windbag to a remorseful one. Shane became somehow emotionally calloused, and Max... seemed to simply lose touch, and become a very, very quiet kid. It was oddly much harder to hate the new version of his father, so Vance accepted his offer when Fred expressed intentions to hire him on at one of his restaurants as a bus boy. He begrudgingly accepted, and although he had much to struggle through himself, putting time in at his new job and making new friends there seemed to help him cope a lot. Even still, his grades slipped as he began to realize that the restaurant was a seedy place, and he happened to find his way toward involvement with certain employees who'd sell drugs on the side. He sought strength in others more than ever, but the crowd he became involved with only began to drag him down.
Although the money he made legitimately was nice, the money he found he could make with a few sales on the side a week made the whole deal that much nicer. It wasn't long before he had no time for school anymore, having become immersed in a fast and dangerous life. He'd generate copious profits only to just as quickly have them vanish in the consumptions of his breakneck lifestyle. The household rift of older times had been replaced by a rift of distance. Even despite all his more questionable dealings, Vance managed to become friends with most everyone on the restaurant's staff. One server named Erica had developed a huge crush on him, and would frequently joke about inviting him to move with her on her return home to Vegas. He never seriously considered the offer, imagining that his track in life would be a bit too fast for her to keep up with, but an unexpected night would change that. Some poor judgments made at a party by Vance and his friends led them all to an adventure involving an SUV crashed by an intoxicated driver, but more importantly his own incriminating possession of several substances. Panicked by the prospect of a felon's record, he somehow managed to slip right out of his cuffs and flee the authorities before they could search him or gather his information.
Vance stayed in Arizona only briefly after that. He laid low and stayed out of trouble, and quickly reconsidered Erica's offer. Though nothing had broken his attraction to wild fun and revelry, he wasn't interested in slinging weight anymore. Time became something of a blur after their move as Vance became drawn into his new routine. Through all this time, Erica had only more and more proven herself to be among Vance's truest friends in life. He grew to trust her enough to tell her everything, and although she regarded his escape with an inexplicably focused enthusiasm, he could feel deep down in his gut that she'd sooner take his secrets to the grave than sell him out. Even still, keeping his nose clean of legal trouble didn't lead to a less-exciting life at all. Something strange had begun to happen to his body which he couldn't explain or understand, and freakish incidents began to clue him in. More and more, he was manifesting. When he understood it well enough to tell Erica, he discovered why she'd been so curious about his escape. It turned out she had a wealth of knowledge to share about the matter, because although she'd not developed an ability herself, her grandmother's powerful gift had long been a family secret. On that note, Erica became insistent that she introduce him to her.
Charlotte was a woman of considerable power and influence in Vegas, and not someone Vance would have expected to meet, despite knowing of her distant but amiable relationship with Erica. She was a woman who'd make a lasting impression on Vance for years to come. She brought him into her suite, where luxury and status surrounded Vance in a way he'd never experienced. She introduced him to her cohorts, which shared similar gifts, and spent hours talking with Vance about his ability. For a woman who'd pulled Vegas into a manipulative dance under the sway of her pheromonal influence, she'd been a rather sweet old lady. That was about all she'd manage to do for Vance, because it was Charlotte's last night. She'd only begun to hint at the troubles brewing in the world around them when one of her group erupted into violent action and killed her in what seemed to be an act of infiltration and silencing. Charlotte's panicked response filled the suite with a poison the likes of which Vance had never seen... and those images persist in haunting him on to this day.
It was by the sheer grace of his ability that he managed to survive, finding a refuge the others couldn't share. When all was said and done, it was clear that there were others on the move to hunt his kind, and that even his own kind would join in such a cause. He quickly fled for the only place he could think of-- home. When he returned to Phoenix, he found that much had changed. Shane had moved on not long after Vance, leaving Max and Fred to drive each other nuts. There were clearly some issues between them, but they seemed somehow irrelevant to Vance after what he'd seen. He hardly expected either of them to comprehend such a story, let alone believe it. From Max, Speaking with Max only revealed that Shane had 'gotten involved with a gang in the city', and left Vance to his own devices. Reaching out to old contacts, he quickly got in touch with Shane, who invited him straight to their headquarters.
Vance discovered far more than he could have possibly expected. Although Shane treated him no differently than he ever had, it was nothing short of surreal for Vance to see what he'd made for himself. The 'gang' that Max had spoken of was no rabble of cut-purses and drug-dealers-- this was a powerful underground element comprised at the head of people who'd grown to possess the same kinds of frightening abilities Vance had encountered in the past. Even some of the lower-level agents to the group carried such abilities, and the 'gang's footmen were few and well-trained by a strict and fear-instilling code that promised a fate worse than death to those who 'misplaced' the sacred secrets of the group. Within that inner circle, Vance was welcomed immediately. As he rediscovered the closeness he and Shane shared in earlier years, he was surprised to discover and enjoy the same loyalty and love among the group's chieftains. To this end, he felt few moral pangs even in delving with the group into dark matters as they slowly began to wrest power over Phoenix and surrounding cities into their own hands.
Vance did anything for his new family right on down to murder, although it was always business and never pleasure. It felt oddly guiltless, while the gang preyed upon greater establishments through the use of their abilities. In a strange sort of way, he'd become convinced by Shane's sheer leadership and force of personality that their efforts were more righteous than wrong. In short, at his brother's side, he'd have done anything for him. That very fact perhaps came to save his life. It was no secret that Shane ultimately ran things, despite the general knowledge of who 'officially' headed the group. At the very head of the group was a man named Dorsey who's body harbored the very fearsome power of the sun. Shane's neglected master at last betrayed his own in a final stand to remind them all who the true leader was, and things quickly spiraled out of control. Drawn to another family of power, Vance found himself once again in the midst of a horrid blood bath, and this one involved actual blood. What became referred to as the 'act of cleansing' draw a divisive line right through the entirety of the faction's ranks. By sheer fear and legend, the group's leader rallied the outer and more populous echelons of the group to his side and sought to eradicate the rest of the council and their die-hard loyalists. When the bloody mist finally cleared, no one could say who 'won'. Perhaps its true that no one did. With his brother among the missing, and so many others dead, Vance returned to the only place he could think of... home. Again.
If all he hadn't endured wasn't enough to fracture Vance's mind, what followed next would be. Max had come to discover a gift of his own-- the third of three brothers all born with the gene. Twisting the past in Vance's mind to an extreme, he played upon everything that his older brother had been through, and pulled at Vance's strings until he found the one attached to the trigger of his gun. When Frederick was dead, Max was satisfied and his spell over Vance was broken. Horrified, Vance took nothing with him as he fled immediately to the other side of the country. Initially, he believed the direction of his flight a random thing, but he came to recall that Shane would often talk of where they'd strike off to next if things didn't work out with their former boss.
In a city sprawling with towering buildings and rampant crime, Vance has found the opportunity to blend in. His ability grants him a new dimension of access to a city that towers, and in that he aims only to survive, he has managed to find a way to blend in with it all. Back to basics, he's taken up a familiar line of honest work at a bistro near enough to his hole-in-the-wall apartment. Presently, he lays low and doesn't get close to most anyone, having grown to distrust others deeply. As he struggles with the haunting memories of his past, the line between reality and imagination has begun to blur beyond distinction. He may well be something of a ticking bomb by now, although he certainly doesn't aim to be.
Anything else?- I'm a returning player, and Vance is a returning character who has been further developed in order to reflect the passage of time and the events that have transpired throughout. Plot-wise, he could take on a number of directions and should be considered flexible in that regard as I have no set destiny for him yet as of now. I'm a huge plot fiend as those who might remember me will well recall, so anyone who reads this whether staff or member please feel free to run any plot ideas you have with me.
Sample RP-
Vance had come to think of his job as something of a pantomime-- some motion he went through in order to maintain some degree of normalcy and avoid the kind of troubles he knew all too well existed. He felt no particular joy or attachment toward the bistro gig, and although he seldom found anything particularly profound to do with his free time, he valued his days off. It was the only time he could be himself anymore. He lived alone, in an apartment that overlooked numerous stories of height. This night had been another one made sleepless by his unsettling dreams, and he'd at times tell himself that those troubles had past and that his nightmares were nothing more than a pest to be rid of. It wasn't as if he needed them in order to know well enough the lessons he had learned. There were just some things that he wished he could forget, and he found himself lost in these thoughts as he stared out over the rail of his tiny balcony. Leaned onto the cold metal rail that didn't exactly treat his weighted arm with kindness, he ignored the discomfort in his thoughts and idly twirled his phone round and round between his fingertips.
When a particularly unsettling thought occurred to him-- what if Shane did survive only to be caught up with by Max?, he fumbled his phone and lost it to the greedy pull of gravity. His eyes went wide, and he nearly threw himself over the rail trying to catch it with his long arm, but failed. When it hit the surface just below, he gasped and let out a huff of relief. Okay, this was entirely salvageable. He'd just have to crawl over the rail and move down the wall several feet, and collect the damn thing. The sun wasn't up just yet, so it was dark and he hardly expected there to be a good chance of anyone actually watching him. That was where he was dead wrong, though he'd never know it. A neighbor he'd yet to meet had been up all night, chatting with her son on the phone. She was a middle aged woman who always carried her cat around in one arm and held her phone to hear ear with the other. He'd only seen her several times, and had no idea what kept her up so late, or why she'd spend so many hours gabbing away until five in the morning. It was the least of his concerns now. All he cared about was getting that phone back.
"Good god, Richard! I'm going to have to call you back!" the startled woman erupted. Her windowed balcony door was shut, though she stood right by it overlooking the area by force of habit. Her tendency to stand there while chatting placed her in just the right spot to see what Vance was doing, and she was absolutely horrified. "That's fine, just call me tomorrow. I've got to call 911, it looks like this boy is about to... oh my god!" she panicked and hung up on her son, and Vance carried on oblivious just outside. He slowly stood on the rail, taking a moment to indulge in the thrill of the height he stood from. It took unusual balance just to stand there, and he took a moment to consider how he'd manage the terrain. "Yes, operator! There's a boy, well... well, he's my neighbor, and I think he's going to kill himself!" she carried on, and her glass door kept Vance from hearing a thing.
That's when he dropped, and she swore her heart stopped. He caught the rail with one hand, and slid down past to the wall below. After that, there was only solid surface to cling to in ways no ordinary person could, and he scaled deftly down toward where his phone waited, hoping it hadn't been damaged by the clumsy drop. "Ma'am? Ma'am!" the voice came through on his neighbor's line, and the woman simply seemed stunned as she watched. Vance had paused at some point, and she could see him if not what he was doing... and then he began to scale the wall in another direction, indulging himself to a bit of climbing. "Sorry... I'm so sorry, I'm mistaken. He must be doing some of that parkour or something.." she quickly threw open her sliding door to try to regain sight of Vance. He'd moved far enough by this point that he didn't even hear her door open, and he continued scaling the wall with freakish ease, like some sort of lizard. "Lizard parkour... they must call this lizard parkour!"
"Ma'am? Are you feeling alright?" the operator replied, and she lost interest in the phone call and snapped her cell shut. She wanted to shout out to him, but she couldn't shake the fear that she'd startle him into falling, so she stayed silent and watched. "This has got to be the single most bizarre thing..." she shook her head subtly, and muttered under her breath to herself. "I need to cut back on the tequila..." she sunk back into her apartment and shut the door again, content to pretend she saw nothing at all.
